The press Royal Charter and the concession that never was – Gordon Ramsay

Recent reports in a number of national newspapers that the supporters of the PressBoF Charter have offered a significant concession by removing an industry veto on appointments to the Board of a new self-regulator raise two problems.

Media Standards Trust: Leveson Coverage Analysis

The Media Standards Trust has published a report ‘Analysis: Press Coverage of Leveson Part 1: The Inquiry’ [pdf], the first comprehensive review of the UK Press’ coverage of the Leveson Inquiry.

1. Over 2,000 articles and over one million words were published on the Inquiry between July 2011 and November 2012 – 73% during the period of oral hearings.

Leveson: another poll shows public in favour of press reform – Gordon Ramsay

In a recent post on the Media Standards Trust website I wrote that eight consecutive opinion polls have shown that the press has been completely out of step with public opinion on press reform. That number can now be revised up to nine, after another Sunday Times/YouGov poll (full results here) shows that the public favours the proposals for the reform of press regulation.

Media Standards Trust YouGov Poll: Public Supports Full Implementation of Leveson

A YouGov poll commissioned by the Media Standards Trust [pdf] and conducted on 31 January to 1 February 2013, has shown strong public support behind implementation of Lord Justice Leveson’s recommendations for a new system of press regulation.

Media Standards Trust: Response to the Leveson Report

The Media Standards Trust supports Lord Justice Leveson’s proposal for a voluntary system of independent regulation.  Lord Justice Leveson writes that the previous system of self-regulation, led by the PCC, “was simultaneously a panacea, a misnomer and a contradiction in terms” (1.4, p.1515).  He says

News: Opinion Poll, overwhelming support for independent press regulation

A YouGov poll commissioned by the Media Standards Trust has found overwhelming public support for a new system of independent regulation, established by law. When asked how newspapers in Britain should be regulated, 79% chose the option “There should be an independent press regulator, established by law, which deals with complaints and decides what sanctions there should be if journalists break agreed codes of conduct”. Only 9% believe that newspapers should establish their own body to do this.

Media Standards Trust: 10 problems with the ‘Black Plan’ for reform of press self-regulation

Lord Black’s plans for reform of press self-regulation, based on a system of commercial contracts, have so far received remarkably little scrutiny. Black was grilled by Robert Jay QC at the Leveson Inquiry, though the substance of his oral evidence was hardly reported.

Why Leveson won’t opt for the Irish model of press regulation – and what the ‘Irish model’ actually means: Martin Moore

Saturday’s Times newspaper claimed it knew the answer to the million dollar question – what is Lord Justice Leveson going to recommend? The judge, the paper said, would reject pure self-regulation and go instead for a ‘system similar to the model operating in the Irish Republic’. Rather than clarifying exactly what this meant, the article then concentrated on why Lord Black and other members of the press might object to such a system.